Unveiled Artist
Veteran Member
No it wasn't sarcastic at all. Your presumption. TB doesn't have to answer. Stop interpreting especially when you get it all wrong.
I wouldn't know I got it wrong unless someone told me.
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- Thread starter Unveiled Artist
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I wouldn't know I got it wrong unless someone told me.
Well OK. Perhaps my query was insensitive. But it was aimed more about her welfare than anything else. TB, don't answer if you don't want to.
Thanks for asking.
Very little effect now that we're vaccinated. Last year, we avoided all human contact, which really wasn't that bad. We're retired and living on savings and pension, so there was no economic impact apart from investing in an oxygen concentrator that we never needed (in case the hospitals were full and one of us had mild to moderate respiratory distress). And with no children living at home, there were none of the concerns that young parents face. We had some good luck not needing a dentist, surgery, or somebody to come into the home for any repair that couldn't wait, and our vet made house calls and treated the dog on our terrace on the other side of a closed glass door through which we could watch. Groceries, dried goods, packages, and pharmaceuticals were all by delivery. And no need to travel, and no extreme weather events forcing evacuation or prolonged deprivation (power, water) during a pandemic, so extreme isolation wasn't difficult.
As I've mentioned before, I'm an American expat who lives in an expat community that is about 20% Canadian and American and 80% Mexicans. These two populations are having very different COVID experiences. American expats in Mexico are different from the typical American. We're mostly liberal professionals (teachers, nurses, engineers, attorneys, IT people, etc.) and therefore vaccinated. People afraid of a vaccine are also much more likely to be afraid of leaving home, so we don't see too many.
I only know of one person who had COVID last year, and she did well. My wife knows two more, a married couple, that got long haul disease. She lost all of her teeth. There were no deaths in my social circle. The first death for me was this week, a guy I only knew from doing a dinner theater play with him. We don't know his vaccination status at the time he contracted the disease. He was medevac'ed to a hospital in Texas by his family living there, and died Friday.
This year, there aren't many implications for us due to the pandemic if we can avoid serious illness. We go out to eat and sit outdoors. We shop again, but not in places like Walmart with large numbers of random people for prolonged periods of time. More like this place, with 5-10 people in it, all masked per store policy (Walmart doesn't enforce its mask policy), and out in ten minutes tops:
And afterward, breakfast here, immediately next door:
So, not so bad for us. I could live like this indefinitely. About the only thing I miss besides parties is our bridge club, which has been closed for over a year now. Online bridge lacks the social dimension.
However the pandemic has been devastating to the locals for a variety of reasons, lack of vaccination being be a big one, especially among the poorest people, who trust their folkways more than science. The first nation people, who are different from the Mexicans, who are part indigenous, part European, and more amenable to vaccination, but many of whom have had access problems due to supply and distribution problems during the vaccine roll-out. Sad to see.
I love you too, Metis!!Please encourage your congregants to get the vaccine as it is not the vaccine that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans and may be around for many years according to some virologists. This very much is a pro-life issue and should be treated as such, imo.
Our priest here again repeated for us to get the vaccine because a main purpose of doing it is to protect others that we may associate with. And if we want to open up churches and businesses and keep them open, we need this both spiritually and economically. And since I'm ol-- er, I mean more mature-- than you, please get it yourself as your antibodies are in remission.
My approach has been "personal responsibility". If I promoted vaccination and that one person had a death reaction, I would feel responsible. Not sure I could handle that.
One person in our congregation has already been in the hospital twice after vaccination and my son had a worse reaction than when he had covid
Correlation isn’t necessarily causation.
Analogy time….
Would you not advise airbags in cars because of the risk of injury, despite the demonstrable fact that they enhance safety?
When personal anecdotes run counter to epidemiological data, it would be wise to give more weight to the latter (IMO).
We Never Know
No Slack
Had it and knew a couple people that died from it.
metis
aged ecumenical anthropologist
One of my close friends was hospitalized for three days with such a reaction, and she's happy that she got it, especially since she is a nurse at that same hospital.
These reactions almost never kill, but covid has killed several hundred thousands here and millions worldwide. This is the reality. There's hardly ever is going to be a guarantee about much of anything but, as used to tell my students, go with the odds, especially in this case because they're overwhelming in the direction of taking the vaccine.
If it were to be just a "personal" thing, I would agree- but it ain't. My neglect could kill someone-- maybe more. Thus, wouldn't it make more sense to at least advise them that this is the most Christian route to take, namely to take out all the stops to save lives and actually be pro-life in this arena as well, especially since we are now seeing a very serious uptick with young children getting covid with some dying? Even if your message to encourage the vaccine and some get upset with you, isn't that still more compatible with Jesus' message? After all, he rattled lotsa cages as well.
You know how much I really love you, and I hope any difference we may have in this area or any other changes that. A good friend of my wife and I on numerous occasions asked whether my wife and I agree on anything, and yet we've been married for 54 years. Of course, I give credit to my amazing tolerance, but then she hits me.
Take care, my friend.
Aštra’el
Aštara, Blade of Aštoreth
Up until recently the worst part of it was not being able to be at the gym everyday like I used to. It was my temple, a place I went to focus up and reflect and train hard and become a stronger person. I had to give that up, which created the longest period I’d ever been out of the gym since I started lifting, and despite being vaccinated I’m still not sure going back is the right call.
Aside from that... people I care about stayed at their homes, got vaccinated, and if they had to go out, they wore masks and stayed as far as they could from other people. I knew people who died from Covid, but they weren’t anyone particularly close to me.
That might change soon. I sincerely hope it does not. Now, for whatever reasons I do not understand, my father is determined to get back into the classroom and begin teaching again, or at least subbing. He has diabetes and just barely survived a quadruple bypass on his heart several years ago. He’s in good shape now despite all that, but this combined with him being in his early sixties makes me nervous about him being around so many children during the pandemic. He’s fully vaccinated also, but I don’t feel like that can guarantee his survival if he contracts the Delta variant. I’ve tried to talk him out of it but he’s a man on a mission.
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
Whether the odds are far higher for damage from the virus than the vaccine depends upon one's personal situation.Could you tell us again why you will not have the vaccine - given that the odds are far higher for damage from the virus than the vaccine?
PS Ignore if you want.
I am not at risk for getting the virus so I am unwilling to risk any possible damage I might incur from the vaccination.
I agree with what Conscious Thoughts said: "I do not trust those who made it, and I do believe it is not healthy to take it ( yes it protect for corona virus, but the health risk is not good.)"
#29 Conscious thoughts, Today at 5:43 AM
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**MOVED TO COVID-19**
It seems to me that you hold some firm beliefs in several areas, one being religious belief and another with regards Homeopathy, with the latter not having any scientific evidence as to its effectiveness (apart from as a placebo perhaps), and where you have no problem it seems in standing your ground against any likely criticisms as to both, so why would you get depressed over this issue of vaccinations? You have your reasons apparently so why not just ignore anything that might be seen as confrontational?
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
My beliefs about Homeopathy have nothing to do with my beliefs about vaccinations or the Covid-19 vaccines in particular. Reputable homeopaths do not discourage people from getting vaccinated for Covid-19.
My religious beliefs also have nothing to do with my stance on the Covid-19 vaccinations. The Universal House of Justice (UHJ), which is the highest governing body of the Baha'i Faith, has made many statements on the vaccination but the bottom line is that we should use our best judgement when deciding whether to be vaccinated or not, unless we are confronted by a government mandate, in which case we are to obey the government. Of course, if we obtain a medical exemption that would be obeying the government since the government allows such exemptions.
I am depressed over this vaccination issue because it has caused so much disharmony between people on this forum, but mostly because I am probably going to lose my job because of a vaccination mandate.
I am not going out of my way to discuss the Covid-19 vaccination anymore but I respond to posts that are posted to me because I consider that to be a common courtesy.
I am not afraid of confrontation, but after a while it is just pointless because neither I nor those who confront me are going to change their positions. So why argue about it incessantly? All that accomplished is to create disharmony. This is no different from arguing about religious beliefs. What's the point? A while back I finally realized this "I am right an you are wrong" is is just a is just an egotistical exercise. I will say "I believe x and this is why" but what people do with that information is entirely their choice.
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Well I understand all that but I fail to understand why you might get depressed over this issue rather than any other. Given that your religious beliefs are about as popular, in general, as atheistic beliefs in a majority Muslim country, and where you are strong enough to stand with such beliefs, just as with Homeopathy. I just can't see why you would be upset having once made a decision - right or wrong - as you do seem to be a strong individual to withstand such opposing views.
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
I can certainly withstand opposing views but I am depressed over possibly losing my job, I have finally accepted that I might lose my job although people are fighting for us, and that makes all the difference:
Washington state employees union sues Gov. Inslee over COVID-19 vaccine mandate | king5.com
I took quite a beating on this forum by the majority view but am doing much better with this now that I have some allies and some support and now that I know I am not alone in my plight.
Sorry to hear about that. Not sure what to think about employers and any insistence on vaccinations.
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
I am sure it in a lot different in your country.Sorry to hear about that. Not sure what to think about employers and any insistence on vaccinations.
Not sure what the situation is here, and I should have added that it's perfectly understandable why this would have affected you more.I am sure it in a lot different in your country.